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Sunday, 15 May 2016

BERLIN
(AP) — Germany's federal government expects to spend 93.6 billion euros
($106.2 billion) to support refugees over the next five years, weekly
Der Spiegel reported Saturday.

The
Hamburg-based magazine cited a finance ministry document that predicted
the annual costs would rise from about 16.1 billion euros ($18.2
billion) this year to 20.4 billion in 2020.

Much
of the money would go toward basic benefits, housing support and
language lessons for asylum-seekers, but the overall amount also
includes spending on efforts to fight the reasons why people flee their
home countries and seek refuge in Germany.

Finance
ministry spokesman Juerg Weissgerber declined to comment on the figures
but confirmed that federal officials were in discussion with
representatives from Germany's 16 states about the cost of supporting
refugees. They are aiming to reach an agreement on sharing the cost by
the time Chancellor Angela Merkel meets state leaders on May 31.

Heavy
government spending on refugees has boosted Germany's economy in recent
months, but has also stoked resentment among some Germans who believe
that migrants are getting preferential treatment. A nationalist party,
Alternative for Germany, has surged in recent polls and the number of
attacks against refugee shelters has increased sharply over the past
year.

Almost
1.1 million asylum-seekers entered Germany last year, although the
government has stressed that the figure doesn't account for those who
move on to other countries or return home.

The
finance ministry document cited by Der Spiegel predicts that 600,000
refugees will come to Germany this year, falling to 400,000 in 2017 and
300,000 in the following years. It assumes that over half of those who
are officially recognized as refugees will find work within five years.

Thanks
to low unemployment and strong exports, Germany recorded a budget
surplus of 12.1 billion euros last year on federal spending of 299.3
billion euros.

Finance
Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has stuck to his policy of balancing the
country's budget despite the cost of dealing with the influx of
migrants. Schaeuble said last week that Germany should be "able to
manage the current major challenges without new debt."